. >>> president obama and governor mitt romney squared off in their first presidential debate wednesday. earlier in the week, thousands of conservative christians gathered in philadelphia to pray for the future of the country. organizers said the rally was not political, although same-sex marriage and abortion were widely denounced. they also called for 40 days of prayer leading up to the election. >>> meanwhile, this weekend, a conservative christian group is urging pastors to challenge federal law by endorsing political candidates from the pulpit. those who do so risk losing their churches' tax-exempt status. according to a recent survey by the christian polling organization lifeway, 87% of pastors believe pastors should refrain from making political endorsements. the survey included both evangelical and mainline clergy. >>> the supreme court opened its new term on monday and a majority of the justices -- six of the nine -- attended the annual red mass, held the sunday before at st. matthew's cathedral in washington. at the annual event, catholic leaders encourage the justices to draw